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David Oyelowo Quotes
David Oyelowo Quotes
David Oyelowo
English
Actor
Born:
Apr 1
,
1976
Black
Me
People
Think
Work
You
Related authors:
Bill Nighy
Charlie Chaplin
John Cleese
Michael Caine
Robert Pattinson
Tom Hardy
Tom Hiddleston
Tom Holland
What we usually do to great men and women is relegate them to homogenised heroism. Their words and actions become soundbites and images in a way that gives us an excuse not to act bravely in our own lives.
David Oyelowo
Great
Women
Words
Men
Men And Women
Become
Own
Heroism
Our
Way
Great Men
Gives
Excuse
Bravely
Them
Us
Act
Actions
Lives
Images
My grandfather was the king of a region in western Nigeria, where I had the privilege to live for seven years while growing up. But what we think of as royalty in the U.K. is very different to royalty in Nigeria: if you were to throw a stone there, you would hit about 30 princes.
David Oyelowo
You
King
Live
Think
Seven
Would
About
Throw
Had
Princes
Were
Years
Western
Up
Very
Privilege
Hit
Stone
Where
Different
While
Region
Grandfather
Growing
Growing Up
Nigeria
Royalty
I seem to be able to disassociate my insecurities. I know a lot of actors - some of the best actors in the world - can't bear to watch themselves and I have to say I can't relate to that.
David Oyelowo
Best
World
Relate
Say
Insecurities
Able
Some
Seem
Bear
Know
Lot
Themselves
Actor
Watch
If you feel like the beginning of your history is rooted in slavery, that really, I think, messes with your sense of self, your self-esteem, and your self-worth.
David Oyelowo
History
You
Beginning
Sense
Think
Self
Feel
Like
Self-Esteem
Messes
Self-Worth
Really
Rooted
Your
Slavery
I grew up watching period dramas, as we all did in the 1980s and '90s - endless adaptations of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens - and I loved them. But I never saw anyone like me in them, so I decided to find a story to erode the excuses for me not doing one.
David Oyelowo
Me
Dramas
Saw
Find
Charles
Charles Dickens
Never
Like
Excuses
Period
Doing
Austen
Dickens
Up
Did
Endless
Anyone
Grew
Loved
Decided
Story
Jane
Jane Austen
Them
Watching
Adaptation
We're all, whether we like it or not, gonna have to deal with bereavement at some point in our lives, and it's something I think, as a society, maybe we shy away from.
David Oyelowo
Think
Society
Our
Our Lives
Bereavement
Some
Something
Point
Like
Deal
Maybe
Whether
Gonna
Away
Lives
Shy
I'm one of a generation brought up on television whose acting is more 'naturalistic', whereas with some of the older generation it's more heightened. But I think there's room for both styles.
David Oyelowo
Generation
Older
Think
Television
Some
Brought
More
Both
Styles
Up
Whereas
Room
Acting
Naturalistic
Older Generation
Whose
We start 'The Butler' in June and that's incredibly exciting for me because I get to work with the amazing Forest Whitaker again. It's a phenomenal script and a great, great role - I play his son. Oprah Winfrey is his wife and my mother. My character is a radical civil rights activist.
David Oyelowo
Work
Great
Character
Me
Rights
Son
Mother
Amazing
Wife
Radical
Incredibly
Civil
Civil Rights
Exciting
Because
His
Oprah
Oprah Winfrey
Forest
June
Role
Get
Again
Script
Activist
Play
Butler
Start
Phenomenal
We can't afford to deny our past in a bid to be empowered. But what we can do is contextualize the past.
David Oyelowo
Past
Our
Bid
Empowered
Deny
Afford
'The Help' sheds light on a certain truth in America, but the tragedy is if we don't get a chance to contrast it with other points of views. 'The Butler' does that, 'Red Tails' does that and that's what '96 Minutes' does.
David Oyelowo
Truth
Light
Other
Minutes
Tails
Points
Red
Sheds
Does
Tragedy
Contrast
America
Get
Certain
Views
Help
Butler
Chance
I love that as a black person I've experienced not being a minority. I think that's helped me to combat the minority mentality people can have here, which can stop them scaling the heights.
David Oyelowo
Love
Me
People
Black
Minority
Heights
Think
Scaling
Mentality
Combat
Person
Stop
Being
Experienced
Which
Them
Helped
Here
I've been an actor for 14 years now and a lot of that time was spent in theatre and television. Then I moved to L.A. to try and build upon that and it's starting to pay off!
David Oyelowo
Time
Theatre
Try
Build
Pay
Spent
Television
Been
Years
Lot
Off
Moved
Then
Now
Actor
Starting
I think until Britain acknowledges just how much of a presence black people had here before the Sixties, then there are certain stories that are not going to be inclusive of what I have to offer.
David Oyelowo
People
Black
Before
Inclusive
Think
Had
Until
How
How Much
Offer
Going
Just
Sixties
Stories
Acknowledge
Then
Much
Certain
Presence
Here
Britain
One of the things the BBC does better than anyone is period drama.
David Oyelowo
Better
Drama
One Of The Things
Period
Does
Than
Anyone
Things
I admire many actors, though I don't think there's anyone whose career I would want to mirror sort of by the beats. What I'm really looking to do is constantly defy expectations. I'm very curious to see if you can actually have a character actor and a movie star's career combined.
David Oyelowo
Character
You
Mirror
Looking
Think
Character Actor
Though
Defy
Would
Admire
Constantly
See
Beats
Combined
Sort
Very
Curious
Expectations
Want
Movie
Anyone
Really
Many
Star
Whose
Actor
Actually
Career
In my time since moving to the United States, I've found that there is a dearth of great writing for black people. There are stories that depict us in a way that isn't cliched or niche, and that a white person, a Chinese person, an Indian person can watch and relate to. Those are the stories I want to be a part of telling.
David Oyelowo
Time
Great
People
Writing
Black
White
Relate
Way
States
Those
Telling
Indian
My Time
Part
Since
Cliched
Dearth
Person
Depict
Want
Stories
Chinese
Moving
Us
Found
Niche
United
United States
Watch
My parents are very hard working people who did everything they could for their children. I have two brothers and they worked dog hard to give us an education and provide us with the most comfortable life possible. My dad provided for his family daily. So, yes, that is definitely in my DNA.
David Oyelowo
Life
Education
Daily
Family
People
Dog
Parents
Everything
Definitely
Possible
Brothers
Give
Could
Most
Comfortable
Comfortable Life
His
Provide
Provided
Yes
Very
Did
Children
Us
Worked
Working
Hard
Working People
Who
Dad
Hard-Working
Two
I am a father, I am very aware of the things that I'm putting out in the world knowing that one day my children will watch the work that I've done. I want to be able to stand by it.
David Oyelowo
Work
Day
World
Father
Will
One Day
Out
Able
Putting
Knowing
Am
Very
Done
Children
Want
Stand
Aware
Things
Watch
I consider myself a human being, a Christian, a father, a husband, so many things, before being a black person.
David Oyelowo
Myself
Human Being
Father
Black
Husband
Before
Christian
Consider
Person
Human
Being
Many
Things
Because I was aspirational, I did my work, I was respectful to my teachers, I experienced a lot of bullying from the black kids. My friends were largely white or Asian.
David Oyelowo
Work
Bullying
Black
White
Respectful
Kids
Because
Were
Lot
Friends
Did
Experienced
Asian
Teachers
Largely
There are a lot of challenges I undeniably have faced as a black person both in the U.K. and in the U.S. that contrived to make me feel lesser than what I am.
David Oyelowo
Me
Challenges
Black
Faced
Both
Feel
Make
Am
Lot
Than
Person
Contrived
Lesser
I wasn't one of those kids who grew up watching movies thinking, 'That's what I want to do when I grow up.' I didn't really particularly know I had an aptitude for it.
David Oyelowo
Thinking
Those
Aptitude
Kids
Had
Know
Particularly
Up
Want
Grew
Movies
Really
Who
Grow
Grow Up
Watching
The only way I get a leading role in a studio picture is if Ryan Gosling can't play it, which is clearly the case with 'Selma.' If this was a non-colour-specific character, it wouldn't be me. It just wouldn't.
David Oyelowo
Character
Me
Picture
Way
Case
Only
Studio
Leading
Clearly
Leading Role
Role
Get
Just
Which
Play
I find that male directors are more interested in what the film looks like as opposed to what the film is about emotionally. My job is not to make the film look pretty, and I don't feel drawn to making myself look pretty within the film.
David Oyelowo
Myself
Job
Drawn
Find
Pretty
About
More
Directors
Emotionally
Feel
Like
Look
Looks
Make
Within
Making
Opposed
Male
Interested
Film
As artists, our primary function is not to be educators - but we are at a time in history, where for us, our history needs to give context for stories that we hope to tell down the road.
David Oyelowo
Hope
Time
Needs
History
Down
Our
Tell
Give
Road
Primary
Context
Educators
Artists
Where
Stories
Us
Down The Road
Function
We've had so many faith-based movies that I think are sub-par; I almost want a new phrase for them.
David Oyelowo
Think
Phrase
Had
Almost
New
Faith-Based
Want
Movies
Them
Many
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